.PHIL LANE JR
Phil Lane Jr. is a traditionally recognized Hereditary Chief and
Elder. He is an enrolled member of the Ihanktowan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations, and is a citizen of both Canada and the United States. He has a master’s degree in Education from National University, and a master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington. Chief Phil Lane Jr. is an internationally recognized Indigenous leader in human and community development
Who was your inspiration when you were growing up?
My inspiration throughout my life has been my father and the elders who surrounded him. Those stories my father told me about the old people that he lived with. This gave me a sense of how we should live as human beings.
Were there any issues you dealt with as a young per- son that you see young people dealing with today?
Being the child of two parents who attended residential school, and the impact that experience had on them. That intergenerational trauma is passed on from your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and all those that suffered from the colonization process. I suffered with this as I know other young people suffered wherever they are from in the human family. That pain which you really don’t understand at the time. Thankfully I was able to initially play it out in athletics. Athletics became the place where I put that pain and hurt.I went out there to the playing field, whether that was wrestling, football, or track, or whatever I did, I went out there to win. When I wrestled for instance, I would literally see the opponent as General Custer or people who had hurt or oppressed Indigenous Peoples. Whoever I played against became the enemy, and I really enjoyed the physical battle, like football and wrestling.
What is the role of a leader in the community?
A leader is really a servant of the people. This whole idea of a servant leadership, which is being newly promoted by leadership experts, was in our Indigenous communities from the very beginning. Not only to be a servant of the people but to role model for the community how to live a good life and treat one another. Also, to do the best possible to make your decisions wise, just, and loving, and foster participation and consultation with other members of the community. You are there to help support the growth of the community—not to be better than or less than, but to be part of the circle. One of the keys for that is “Seek to understand before you seek to be understood.”
What is your vision for your community?
The Indigenous Peoples of the Americas are destined to become among the spiritual leaders of the entire human family. I believe that this destiny had been prophesized long before European and other members of the human family came here. These prophecies were expressed in different ways through different spiritual leaders from different tribes across the hemisphere. When you listen to Indigenous elders speak, they talk about the human family and they talk about forgiveness, which is a powerful force—especially when you have gone through the types of things that you would not expect someone to be forgiving about. We have a destiny, and the generation that is coming next—the seventh generation—they are the ones that are going to carry us forward, not only in our communities but throughout the world. I see manifestations of this transpiring right now. For instance the 1700 km walk done in the middle of winter by the James Bay Cree and led by a young man. They walked to Ottawa to bring the concerns of their community to the Canadian government. I see it in the Peace and Dignity runs where our young people run clear from the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere to meet each other in the middle for peace and oneness for Indigenous Peoples and humanity.
What role should our traditions and cultures have in the lives of our first nations youth, both in a rural and urban setting?
Traditions and cultures are founded in natural laws, spiritual teaching, and values, which are the foundation of a good life. I remember our 1982 Council of Elders, which consisted of 40 Indigenous elders from different tribes and nations who spoke different languages. When you distill what they all said, it was in essence the same. This world we live in is organized according to certain natural laws. These physical and spiritual laws are inseparably connected.
He responded, “I run faster than anyone else, I lift weights more than anyone else, I practise more than anyone else, and I want to win more than anyone else. That is what I think about every day when I train and condition.”
You have to adapt that, depending on what sports you play. Everything that you learn about your sport, you need to read about it and study other athletes in that sport. Never turn away from a tough match, because the tougher the opponents you compete against, the better you become. Always give everything you can into what you are doing. Put everything into it.
if you had one message to send to the native community of north america, what would it be?
We’re only here for a short time. Make every moment count in helping yourself to be a better human being and serving the people around you.
Why is education important for our young people and their communities?
Learning is at the foundation for everything. We are learning beings. Learning how to be more loving human beings—the whole emotional dimension. Learning to utilize our minds to understand, and learning how to learn and to be open and curious about all the gifts that Creator has put into not only the physical world, but in the spiritual world.
Your mind is so important to develop. We are all given a physical being and the opportunity to develop it. So what you eat, and how you treat that physical being will influence how well you perform—not just in athletics, but how long you live and how healthy you are as you get older. Life is short; really the best part of your life should be the last part. Just like a good athlete knows, whatever sport, it’s that final quarter of the game, the last 400 metres of the mile, the last 100 metres of the quarter mile, you have to be consistent. That’s when you really have to have it. And with life, you live your life so when you reach that dimension of being an elder you still have your kick and finish your life in the best way possible. So those coming behind you can see that and go even further than you.
What is the story behind your story?
My parents have been an incredible influence in my life. I had them until very late in my life. I called them on a regular basis for support and advice when things would come up. People would jokingly ask me, “Are you still tied to your mother’s apron strings?” or “Are you still so attached to your dad that you really haven’t become your own person?” That wasn’t the case. My parents have given their entire lives to myself and my sister. They’re the ones I turned to over and over again for guidance and love.
Secondly, the prophecies that I heard as a boy and then later when I was growing up about the destiny of Indigenous Peoples is what I carry, through thick and thin. Those prophecies that after a long wintertime we would awaken and we would have great contributions to make for the entire human family.
No matter who we are as human beings, we have our fears, weaknesses, and challenges just like anybody else. Although it may appear at times that we have it together, we are going through as many changes and challenges as anybody else. That is a part of life; it’s a part of growth and development. That was always part of my life as well. There is a word in Dakota, “Ikc’hwic’asa,” which means to be a natural human being; to be a humble person, to be yourself. Realize you have strengths and weaknesses. The real power in life is Creator. Be a humble human.
Did you have to overcome specific challenges to be where you are today?
My biggest challenge has been feeling worthy of myself. Both of my parents went through residential school, which was not a good experience in terms of some of the ways that they saw themselves, in terms of looking at mainstream society. All of the classism that goes on. Just realizing that
I have something to contribute, realizing that I was a good person—from the intergenerational trauma I received from my parents, that was a challenge. I think even though both of my parents were enrolled members of their tribes, the fact that I’m lighter complexion and I could be mistaken for Jewish or Italian, that was a great test. What happens through internalized oppression, when people have been oppressed or hurt by human beings that look a certain way or are perceived a certain way, if you have any of those characteristics you are the person they take it out on, because you are the closest to them.
I think another has been the natural intergenerational trauma that you find in our communities. Sometimes the disunity in our communities is so painful. Relatives have no other place to put it. They can’t get back at the oppressor—they can’t easily step out of the situation that they find themselves in, because they lose hope. They share that hurt and pain amongst one another and against themselves. This has been a major challenge for me, but as I get older I realize the purpose of this life is to become free. That is, to go forward at all times and to all places with a good heart and a good mind. Little by little, with tests and difficulties, you realize that it’s just your ego that is being impacted; you have to let it go. You have to look within. Find your faith, spirit, and courage because we are only here for a short time. In time you will leave behind this physical body. What you have left are the spiritual qualities and that’s what you will carry on to the next part of your journey.
The physical laws are easy to understand. Just as real as these physical laws are the spiritual or natural laws that underline all of creation. They are directly and inseparably connected to the physical laws. These spiritual laws govern how we grow as individuals and as communities. Most of my life’s work has been applying these principles that have been given to us by our elders to my own life and sharing with others.
For example, development comes from within. Others can help and assist but it must emerge from the individual, family, community, tribe, and nation. That’s why programs developed in Ottawa and Washington DC and then put onto Aboriginal communities don’t work. It has to come from the people themselves. “No vision, no development.” If we don’t have a vision of possibility, we don’t have the capacity to be able to be able to direct our energy on where we need to go. There is an old saying,
When the young people stop singing the old songs and there are no more dreams of vision and greatness, there is no power. So your vision is, so shall your power be. So is your faith is, so shall your success be. The people without a vision perish.
One more dimension of culture is the ceremonies. Ceremonies are also very important to heal ourselves and help us stay in balance: to become full, strong, and loving human beings.
What advice would you give to young people and potential leaders in the communities?
Think well of yourself. Know that you are born of a pure heart and a pure mind. Know that you can develop yourself at any time: that you will have tests and difficulties, and they are all there for growth and development. It is your faith that helps you develop physically, emotionally, mentally,and spiritually. Some tests take a long time, but you needto persevere under all circumstances. You’ll find that in the process of facing challenges and difficulties you become wiser and stronger.
I remember an interview with a great wrestler. They asked him, “Why have you never been defeated by anyone in your career?
